Law enforcement officers typically carry handheld objects on their belts using holsters. While many of the holster devices currently known provide access to useful implements like batons, nightsticks, and pepper spray, such devices are deficient in many respects.
Some holsters are open topped, enabling quick removal of the holstered implement by the wearer. Such a configuration may endanger both the wearer and third parties because the holstered implement may fall out of an open topped holster. Open topped holsters are susceptible to unauthorized implement removal by third parties. Additionally, known open topped holsters provide only one holstered position for an implement. For example, a baton or nightstick holster is configured to contain a fixed length of the nightstick within the holster, with the remainder of the nightstick protruding from the open top of the holster. This provides a graspable area of a fixed length, with no option of user adjustability of the graspable area.
Other known holsters include a detachable retaining flap. Generally, the flap is configured to wrap over at least a portion of the exposed top of an implement contained within the holster. The flap retains the implement via removable attachment of the flap to an outer portion of the body of the holster, thereby creating a retaining strap. The removable attachment is generally facilitated by a snap or button assembly. Such holsters reduce the risk of a holstered implement inadvertently falling out, however these devices make the drawing process more cumbersome and time consuming and only slightly reduce the risk of an unauthorized individual accessing a holstered implement. The wearer of such holsters must perform at least three distinct hand motions in order to draw and make ready a baton or other implement stored in the holster. First, the wearer must release the flap by decoupling the snap assembly. Second, the wearer must grasp the baton handle while avoiding gripping any part of the holster, such as the flap. Third, the wearer must remove the baton from the holster.
Because the flap may be removed by detaching the flap from the outer portion of the holster, a third party can easily disengage the snap or button assembly retaining the flap and remove the implement before the wearer reacts. Additionally, such holsters are difficult to operate without looking at the device during drawing and reholstering.
Furthermore, many prior art holsters are not ambidextrous. That is, they are specific to a right-handed or left-handed user.
Given the foregoing, what are needed are lock assemblies which securely retain holstered implements such as batons, nightsticks, pepper spray, and handcuffs. Additionally, assemblies are needed which reduce the risk of unauthorized implement removal by third parties and assemblies which reduce the hand motions necessary to release an implement and make it ready for use. Finally, implement assemblies are needed which may be operated by a left hand or a right hand and operated without the wearer looking at the assemblies and/or the locks thereof.